fluff & stuff: OUR WISH FOR YOU...

did you know...?

(click here or the para below for the original webpage)

" Origami was invented in China around 100AD. The word origami simply means "paper folding". Japan was in the habit of adopting interesting parts of the Chinese culture, and took on the craft of origami around 600AD. It is Japanese origami which has become a world famous cultural emblem.

As in many societies, paper was a luxury item, created by hand and used only for important, long lasting purposes. When origami was first brought to Japan, only the rich practiced the art of folding paper into shapes. The shape creation was a way of adding special meaning to what the paper held on it or in it.

For love notes, origami was doubly special. First, the origami shape itself could represent a message. The selection of color and shape help conveyed the true emotions of the writer. Second, origami is an intricate art. If the love note was intercepted, it would be unlikely that the reader could perfectly refold the shape. So the origami love note was very secure - it could not be read by the wrong person without the recipient knowing it.

From its inception, origami has held an honored place in ceremonies that were of great importance. Origami was used at births, weddings, and funerals to help commemorate the occasion in a unique, hand-crafted manner. The origami figures would be treasured by participants for years afterwards. "

(click here or the para below for the original webpage)

" One of the first books published on Origami was "How to Fold 1,000 Cranes", released in the late 1700s. It is no coincidence that the crane was chosen as the subject for the book. For thousands of years the Japanese culture has treasured the crane as a symbol of honor and loyalty. The crane symbol is used on many Japanese heraldic devices and is a theme in many famous works of art.

The crane is a majestic bird which mates for life and is extremely loyal to its partner. The bird is strong, graceful and beautiful. Because of the great importance of the crane, the Japanese people feel that a person who folds 1,000 cranes will be granted his or her greatest wish. "

as a child, i loved origami...i can't quite recall if it was the pretty paper that our japanese friends used or just the art itself that attracted me. whatever the reason, i fondly recall my mum folding lil bits of paper followed by my excitement in discovering the figure that unfolded...or folded, so to speak! i also recall asking her to unfold the paper just so i could try and fold it back into the figure she had folded just moments earlier.

a few weeks ago, i chanced upon an origami set at a local bookstore. it reminded me of my childhood days and so i bought a set for ilaika, thinking that i could introduce the art to her, just as my mum did for me.

and she loved it!

the crane was and still is my favourite. so it was no surprise that the crane was also the first piece i chose to fold for ilaika.

we didn't fold a thousand cranes but hey, we don't ask for very much ;) our dreams are of love and happiness (and perhaps in ilaika's case, a year's supply of froyo!)